Many types of equipment commonly found in a variety of industries emit heat during operation and may employ cooling techniques based on either air or liquid cooling mediums to maintain a stable operating temperature. Liquid cooling systems generally offer greater operating temperature stability over air cooling systems because of the higher heat transfer efficiency of liquid. The advantages of liquid cooling systems include greater system reliability, reduced operating costs, and longer equipment life span.
However, liquid cooling systems have disadvantages, including the formation of biofilms within the liquid cooling medium. Biofilms are collections of microorganisms and the extracellular polymers they secrete, which attach to a substrate. Biofilm-related problems cost billions of dollars annually by corroding pipes, reducing heat transfer or hydraulic pressure in industry cooling systems, plugging water injection jets, and clogging water filters. In addition, biofilms can cause major medical problems through infection harboring bacteria.